Numbering machine



March 31, 1931.. c., SPlE LMAN UZ'QSJW NUMBERING MACHINE Filed Nov. 2'7,1928 INV NTOR ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 31 1931 UNITED STATES PATENTFOFFICE CHARLES SPIELMAN, on RICHMOND HILL, NEW YORK, Assreivon To war. A.some &

COMPANY, me, or NEW YORK, 1v. Y., A CORPORATION 01 NEW YORK NUMBERINGMACHINE My invention relates to improvements in automatic numberingmachines, particularly those used in consecutively numbering packingcases, cartons and the like, and it is my object to produce a machinewhich may be quickly and easily set without in uring the type wheelcharacters and in which damaged characters may be removed and replacedquickly by anyone.

Such machines are provided with metal type wheels to the faces of whichrubber printing characters have been cemented. In setting such wheels toany desired number by hand the pressure is applied to the rubber 15characters. Due to the pawl pressure the wheels can be turned in but onedirection and only by the application of some force. This loosened therubber characters and they had to be re-cemented to the metal wheels.The 2 machine could not be used again until the cement dried.

My invention is designed to overcome these difliculties by providingmechanism by means of which each type wheel may be freely moved ineither direction without resistance and in so constructing the backs ofthe rubber characters and the faces of the wheels that the charactersare mechanically locked to the wheel without the use of cement.

In the drawing Fig. 1 is a view of the head of a numbering machineembodying my invention, with some of the rubber characters removed; Fig.2 a sectional View of the structure of Fig. l on the line 22 thereof;Fig. 3 a sectional view of the structure of Fig. l on the line 3 3thereof; Fig. 4 a back view of a font of characters before cuttingapart; and Fig. 5 a perspective view of a rubber character.

The numbering machine is of the usual type in which downward pressure onthe handle inksthe characters, prints them on the surface to which theyare to be applied and moves the type wheels in accordance with thesetting of the machine.

The type wheels 1 are formed of metal and have the usual ratchets 2 onone side thereof. The edge of each wheel has a plurality of flat faces 3evenly spaced, which carry the characters, usually 1 to 0.

In the machine herein described the char- I I acters 4- are moulded insoft rubber with a raised cross 5 on the back of each. In commercialproduction these characters are moulded in block form as shown in Fig.4: and then cut apart.

Each fiat face 3 on a type wheel has a cross 6, which. is a counterpartof the cross on the back of a character, cut into it. This sunken crossis slightly smaller than the cross on the back of the rubber charactersothat when the two are engaged the rubber will be compressedsufliciently to hold the character to the type wheel. The cross form ofinterlock has been selected for commercial purposes as it holds thecharacters against movement in any direction and gives the greatestgripping surface between the rubber and metal and carries the grip toall four edges of the character. Other shaped interlocks may be usedwithout departing from my invention.

In order that the character faces may be held to the printing line apawl 10 is pivoted to the frame 11 at 12 with its lower end engaging theratchet 2 on a type wheel, as best shown in Fig. 3., One pawl isprovided for each wheel. A finger piece 13 on the pawl extends above thepivot 12 and is thrown outwardly by a spring 14 seated in a recess inthe frame which forces the lower end of the pawl to engage the ratchet 2on a type wheel. lVhen the pawls and ratchets are engaged the typewheels are held in printing line and can move in but one direction underthe action of the operating mechanism.

When a type wheel has to be set by hand the finger piece is pressed sothat the pawl will disengage the ratchet on the type wheel and thelatter is then a. free wheel which can be turned in either directionwithout liability of tearing off any of the rubber characters on thetype wheel.

Should a rubber character become damaged it is picked be the wheel and anew one inuse. This construction also enables the user to apply anydesired'characters to the wheels without the necessity of returning itto the factory for this purpose.

serted when the machine isready for further I claim A type wheel fornumbering machines having a flat face on the edge thereof provided witha substantially cross shaped depression therein, a rubber characterblock having a counterpart cross shaped raised portion on the backthereof interlocked with the depression in the type wheel whereby thecharacter is detachably secured to the face, of the wheel againstmovement in either direction.

In testimony whereof 'I have aflixed my signature. 7

CHARLES SPIELMAN.

